Oct. 22: David Rovics

Wednesday, Oct. 22, 7 p.m.

Calvary United Methodist Church, 48th and Baltimore Ave.

Tickets $10 in advance at Bindlestiff Books, $12 at the door.

A benefit concert to support regional organizing efforts by the Industrial Workers of the World.

David Rovics sings and writes songs of social significance.

“If the great Phil Ochs were to rise from the dead today, he would probably be hailed as the new David Rovics.”  — Andy Kershaw, BBC

“I’m a big fan.”  — Tom Morello

Opening the show is Philadelphia favorite Cassendre Xavier.

Until the Rulers Obey, Monday 10/20

Bindlestiff Books will sponsor a presentation on Clifton Ross and Marcy Rein’s new collection, Until the Rulers Obey: Voices From Latin American Social Movements (PM Press, 2014), Monday, Oct. 20, at 7 pm at A Space, 4722 Baltimore Ave.

This important new book includes interviews with more than 70 organizers, activists and scholars from 15 countries, Mexico to Argentina. They’ve mobilized on a broad range of issues, fighting against mines and agribusiness and for housing and land; for rights as women, workers, LGBT and indigenous people; for the survival of their communities and our planet. Their organizing runs the gamut of nonviolent social change strategies, from land occupation to electoral participation to creating alternative communities.

“This is the book we’ve been waiting for. Anyone interested in the explosion of social movements in Latin America—and the complex interplay between those forces and the ‘Pink Tide’ governments—should inhale this book immediately.”  — Avi Lewis and Naomi Klein

Amazon’s war on writers

The New York Times quotes one of our favorite authors, Ursula K. Le Guin, on how Amazon is manipulating its search results and fulfillment practices* as part of its campaign to force the publisher Hachette to offer it more profitable terms on ebooks. Says Le Guin, “We’re talking about censorship: deliberately making a book hard or impossible to get, ‘disappearing’ an author.”

Amazon’s minions have responded with a torrent of abuse. The Times report notes several instances where Amazon has made it difficult to impossible to find books (including one by the Republicans’ last vice presidential nominee) on its site as part of its effort to force publishers to submit to its terms, and others where it is offering up its authors’ ebooks as free alternatives to books by authors Amazon would rather not promote without getting a little extra on the side.

*Amazon continues to choke back deliveries of Hachette-published books by as much as three weeks. We can’t claim to have every Hachette book in stock, but we will special order any in-print book you’re looking for and can usually get it in within a week.

All Hallow’s Read

Bindlestiff Books is serving as a donation point for books for the All Hallow’s Read book swap. Bring your Halloween-appropriate children’s or young adult book and put it in one of the bins.

All Hallow’s Read will take place Sunday, Oct. 26, from Noon to 4 p.m. at Woodland Cemetery. Scary books, fall books, books about monsters, books about pumpkins, harvest books, any books really are going to be hidden in Woodlands Cemetery on Sunday October 26, 2014.  Then we can go find them! Read them!  Share them!  Enjoy them! Details at http://allhallowsreadphilly.weebly.com